Phase Transitions in Definite Total Spin States of Two-Component Fermi Gases

Vladimir A. Yurovsky*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Second-order phase transitions have no latent heat and are characterized by a change in symmetry. In addition to the conventional symmetric and antisymmetric states under permutations of bosons and fermions, mathematical group-representation theory allows for non-Abelian permutation symmetry. Such symmetry can be hidden in states with defined total spins of spinor gases, which can be formed in optical cavities. The present work shows that the symmetry reveals itself in spin-independent or coordinate-independent properties of these gases, namely as non-Abelian entropy in thermodynamic properties. In weakly interacting Fermi gases, two phases appear associated with fermionic and non-Abelian symmetry under permutations of particle states, respectively. The second-order transitions between the phases are characterized by discontinuities in specific heat. Unlike other phase transitions, the present ones are not caused by interactions and can appear even in ideal gases. Similar effects in Bose gases and strong interactions are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Article number200403
JournalPhysical Review Letters
Volume118
Issue number20
DOIs
StatePublished - 19 May 2017

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Phase Transitions in Definite Total Spin States of Two-Component Fermi Gases'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this